Heart Strings <3 ~Complete

Heart Strings Chapter Two

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2

We are more interested in making others believe we are happy than in trying to be happy ourselves

François De La Rochefoucauld

‘Mel! Aimee! You will never believe what Sammie found out over the weekend!’ I practically screamed as soon as I got to where they were standing at the corner of the classroom.

‘Sephy, I can hear you, you’re right beside me.’ Aimee grinned. Ah, Aimee, always the joker…

‘Whatever, listen to Sammie,’ I said, tugging at Sammie’s perfect fitting jumper. (Mine looks way too big. But it’s great. If you go for that look. Which I don’t.)

After Sammie had explained in her painfully calm and excruciatingly slow way, everyone’s eyes turned to me questionably.

‘Um… That’s great?’ Mel said slowly.

‘You don’t get it do you? We can now have a rival boy band and they come to our school!-’

‘Yeah, I think it’s attend-’ Aimee interjected. Sammie nodded her agreement.

I ignored them, ‘This is awesome!’

‘Oh!’ Tabby said, obviously still confused.

‘It’s vital for our image. Trust me.’ I insisted.

‘What image?’

I took a deep breath in, ‘An image. You know, for our fans.’

‘What fans?’ I sighed wearily. This was the life of a misunderstood artist, aiming for the best for her and her band members...

‘Look, just trust me on this okay? Do you guys think they’ll be up for it? Hey Sammie, how about you ask them when they come in.’

‘Me?!’ Sammie asked, disbelievingly.

‘Um, yes you…’

‘But, you’re the leader of the band. You are responsible. And you sit next to one of them!’ Sammie said stubbornly.

‘And it was your idea.’ Aimee grinned. ‘Besides, I doubt Sammie gets it any more than the rest of us do.’ I frowned.

‘But I don’t know them. Sammie does.’

‘Not really. I just found out their names, it's no big deal.’ I pouted, put off, and crossed my arms around my chest.

‘Fine. Maybe I will.’

As Mrs. MacLeod, our form teacher, entered the class room, we dispersed and sat on our desks. My heart thumped in my chest as the chair for the desk beside me belonging to Nathan King was pulled back. I looked at him then swivelled my head away so quickly I almost broke my neck, causing me to moan in pain.

‘Uh, are you okay?’ I blew outwards slowly and looked at him, the guy who happened to be Nathan, a member of the Horns.

‘Yes. I’m fine.’ I replied, almost silently, trying to smile. I’d be blushing if I could. Thank God my skin’s too dark. He smiled back. Somehow it seemed mocking.

I looked away and clasped my hands together fiercely. He was clearly laughing at me inside. Dammit.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Nathan asked, again sounding slightly superior.

‘Yes!’ I snapped, way too aggressively. He didn’t seem to notice. This was not the right way to ask them if it was okay to be rivals.

Or maybe it was.

‘Don’t look it. Or sound it to be honest,’ was his rude answer. ‘You sound kind of pissed off. And you were looking at me, so…’

‘I am fine! Perfect! I am great! So shut up okay?’ I hissed. (Nerves make me cranky.)

‘Claaasss!!!’ Mrs. MacLeod screamed strands of hair flying free from her neat bun. ‘I have been saying the register and nobody is answering!!’ She paused and patted her unruly hair self-consciously. There was silence. She huffed and coughed self-consciously. ‘Right, Persephone Kingston.’

‘Yes miss.’

‘Misses! Yes misses MacLeod!’ Mrs. MacLeod shrieked, channelling her absolute anger at little old me. My head reeled with annoyance.

‘Just wants everybody to know she managed to trap a guy into marrying her…’ I muttered under my breath before calling out, ‘yes Mrs. MacLeod.’ She puffed out a long breath and then smiled tightly. I heard a deep rumbled of stifled laughter next to me. I looked at Nathan briefly. He was staring right back, a massive smirk on his mischievous face. I narrowed my eyes. ‘What?’

‘Just looking at you.’ He answered simply. How does he do that?

‘Yeah, I see that.’ I spat through gritted teeth. ‘Why?’

‘Nathan King.’

‘Yes Mrs. MacLeod,’ Nathan said aloud, then looked at me, his deep blue eyes squinting slightly, ‘because you are hilarious. And…I’m sure I saw you singing in this gig thing last week.’ He smiled, like a cat that’d just got the cream. ‘But I can’t be right.’ I shrugged with narrowed eyes deciding to ignore his first comment.

‘So what if I was. Why can’t you be right?’

‘Just saying, you were quite good.’ I smiled, glowing from the inside out. Maybe he wasn’t too bad. ‘Except for the bit at the end. That bit kinda sucked.’ He ended clasping his hands together and looking forwards smugly. My smile faltered. No one dissed the band and escaped with their dignity!

I settled myself with a polite smile and breathed simply, ‘oh, it’s a pity you didn’t like it. At least the audience did. Much more than they liked yours. And your name especially. What's with that?’

‘My name?’ He was vain enough to laugh at that. ‘The name of our band is original! Yours is so meaningless and predictable. I mean, come on, the Red Heartz? Please!’

I could do nothing but gape at him.

What’s wrong with Red Heartz? I frowned slightly. Yeah, it was a bit cliché, but it still sounded awesome. Unlike HORN or whatever they were.

He winked as the bell rang noisily and stood up along with everyone else as I sat fuming at my desk.

Big-headed… Egotistical… Annoying… Yet… Slightly cute…